Hydlide's reputation is peculiar: the title sits at the nexus of two different schools of game design and represents an important milestone in the history of the JRPG and action-RPG, yet it is generally ignored by the public. On the one hand, there is The Tower of Druaga (1984), credited with seminal qualities for the genre; on the other hand, The Legend of Zelda (1986) and Ys (1987), which were inspired by Hydlide's attempts, gave rise to much better known game franchises – not to mention Dragon Quest (1986) and Final Fantasy (1987). One explanation for this oversight, in the West, is certainly its very late release date, as the title was only ported across the Pacific in 1989. By that time, the American public had already experienced games that greatly developed the formula behind the success of Ultima III: Exodus (1983) and Hydlide seemed very obsolete, when compared with The Legend of Zelda or with the thematic duology of Ultima IV: Quest of the Avatar (1985) and Ultima V: Warriors of Destiny (1988). However, the game is accessible to newcomers, even though it feels rough by today's standards.
The player plays as Jim, in a realm where humans and fairies co-exist. When the demon Varalys awakens, he turns Princess Ann into three fairies, dispersing them across the land. It is the hero's duty to find these three fairies to free Ann from her enchantment, whilst also killing Varalys. The story is not further developed, as the game has no lines of dialogue. The player is immediately placed in this world, without any real indications. Unlike Ultima III or The Black Onyx (1984), which inherited the gameplay of the Wizardry series, Hydlide opts for an action-oriented gameplay, similar to The Tower of Druaga. To attack, the player must make Jim's sprite collide with an enemy: if they hold down the A button, Jim goes into attack mode, which increases his strength at the expense of his defence. The idea is thus to attack monsters from the side or from behind, to avoid being killed themselves. Unlike The Legend of Zelda, it is necessary to level up to increase Jim's various characteristics (life, strength, magic), making grinding a necessary part of the adventure. It's also worth mentioning that magic is an addition for the Famicom/NES port, to match the standards set by Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness (1985), but it is of relative use – only the sequence with the wizard compels its use.
In addition to this prerequisite, the player must also look for the fairies and the jewels to open the way to Varalys. This is where the adventure begins to get complex. Admittedly, the map of Hydlide is of a reasonable size, as it is 5x5 grid, but the progression is more or less linear, as certain items seem essential to progress, forcing a rather exhaustive exploration. Thus, to kill the vampire, the players needs the cross; they need to find the key to open the chest of one of the jewels; etc. This wouldn't be a problem, if the game had better gameplay. Hydlide suffers from its combat system, which very often and unfairly punishes the player. Progression through the game is a constant fight of attrition, as it is necessary to spend a lot of time regenerating one's life on the grass tiles. The pace suffers greatly, as it is already undermined by the grinding required to progress. On the other hand, items such as the shield or the sword only offer marginal improvements, contributing to the frustrating nature of the title.
The archaic nature of the combat system, with no attack button, is largely felt in the much more cramped sections. Indeed, Hydlide's battles require special awareness regarding positioning: this is unfortunately not possible in labyrinths or basements. There, the fights are particularly lethal and the lack of regeneration only aggravates the feeling of powerlessness. The duel with Varalys is a prime example of this issue, as he is flanked by four enemies – who constantly respawn. Getting close to him is hard enough and attacking him is even harder. As such, the game is forced to use its Medicine as a very artificial means to allow the player to triumph – or at least have a fighting chance.
Yet Hydlide remains an important game. It is still a cornerstone title for JRPGs, preceded by only a handful of other games. It also has the virtue of being more accessible than the majority of titles in the genre, with its smaller world and modest dungeons – a far cry from the oh-so-large maps that Japanese dungeon crawlers borrowed liberally from Wizardry. It manages to emulate a certain sense of adventure with its different environments and the mysterious side of the basements, whose OST strangely reminds me of the Jade Mask theme in Taiyō no ko Esuteban (1982) – a much deserved respite after the quickly intolerable overworld theme. Similarly, if the narrative depth of Ultima IV and Ultima V is missing, there is a charm to these games that leave the player free to populate the adventure with their own imagination. So, is Hydlide a good game? Certainly not, but it is easy to see why it became, for the Japanese public of the 1980s, an essential title, so crucial to the history of video games.
The player plays as Jim, in a realm where humans and fairies co-exist. When the demon Varalys awakens, he turns Princess Ann into three fairies, dispersing them across the land. It is the hero's duty to find these three fairies to free Ann from her enchantment, whilst also killing Varalys. The story is not further developed, as the game has no lines of dialogue. The player is immediately placed in this world, without any real indications. Unlike Ultima III or The Black Onyx (1984), which inherited the gameplay of the Wizardry series, Hydlide opts for an action-oriented gameplay, similar to The Tower of Druaga. To attack, the player must make Jim's sprite collide with an enemy: if they hold down the A button, Jim goes into attack mode, which increases his strength at the expense of his defence. The idea is thus to attack monsters from the side or from behind, to avoid being killed themselves. Unlike The Legend of Zelda, it is necessary to level up to increase Jim's various characteristics (life, strength, magic), making grinding a necessary part of the adventure. It's also worth mentioning that magic is an addition for the Famicom/NES port, to match the standards set by Hydlide II: Shine of Darkness (1985), but it is of relative use – only the sequence with the wizard compels its use.
In addition to this prerequisite, the player must also look for the fairies and the jewels to open the way to Varalys. This is where the adventure begins to get complex. Admittedly, the map of Hydlide is of a reasonable size, as it is 5x5 grid, but the progression is more or less linear, as certain items seem essential to progress, forcing a rather exhaustive exploration. Thus, to kill the vampire, the players needs the cross; they need to find the key to open the chest of one of the jewels; etc. This wouldn't be a problem, if the game had better gameplay. Hydlide suffers from its combat system, which very often and unfairly punishes the player. Progression through the game is a constant fight of attrition, as it is necessary to spend a lot of time regenerating one's life on the grass tiles. The pace suffers greatly, as it is already undermined by the grinding required to progress. On the other hand, items such as the shield or the sword only offer marginal improvements, contributing to the frustrating nature of the title.
The archaic nature of the combat system, with no attack button, is largely felt in the much more cramped sections. Indeed, Hydlide's battles require special awareness regarding positioning: this is unfortunately not possible in labyrinths or basements. There, the fights are particularly lethal and the lack of regeneration only aggravates the feeling of powerlessness. The duel with Varalys is a prime example of this issue, as he is flanked by four enemies – who constantly respawn. Getting close to him is hard enough and attacking him is even harder. As such, the game is forced to use its Medicine as a very artificial means to allow the player to triumph – or at least have a fighting chance.
Yet Hydlide remains an important game. It is still a cornerstone title for JRPGs, preceded by only a handful of other games. It also has the virtue of being more accessible than the majority of titles in the genre, with its smaller world and modest dungeons – a far cry from the oh-so-large maps that Japanese dungeon crawlers borrowed liberally from Wizardry. It manages to emulate a certain sense of adventure with its different environments and the mysterious side of the basements, whose OST strangely reminds me of the Jade Mask theme in Taiyō no ko Esuteban (1982) – a much deserved respite after the quickly intolerable overworld theme. Similarly, if the narrative depth of Ultima IV and Ultima V is missing, there is a charm to these games that leave the player free to populate the adventure with their own imagination. So, is Hydlide a good game? Certainly not, but it is easy to see why it became, for the Japanese public of the 1980s, an essential title, so crucial to the history of video games.